My
name is Maria Dellham. I’m born, raised and reside in the Swedish town of
Västerås.
My interest in dogs began at an early age, as I grew up with Miniature Pinchers
and Miniature Poodles.
At the age of 4, my family bought a Miniature Pincher that we called Pricken;
but it was in my teenage years when I took care of a Miniature Poodle that was
to start my
career as an active dog owner. The Mini’s name was Bellamie, she was what
was called a “Danish poodle,” something that was popular here in Sweden in the
1960’s and 70’s.
“Bella,” helped me into the world
of dogs as we took obedience courses:
I took her to the dog trim and was allowed to trim her a little by
myself –the owner of the trim found my interest very charming!!
The years flew by as they do, and
in 1984 it was my great fortune to meet Ewa Lindahl
of Kennel Ebony Eve from Umeå. I will never forget the sight of seeing several
standards “hovering,” over the grass when we arrived at Åheden.
This sight truly inspired me to get my first standard! In the fall of the same
year,
Ewa called and had a standard that needed a new home and wondered if
I would like to have him on a trial basis? Naturally I said yes,
and “Bols,” came to me to live for a week and I never turned back!!
As the years have gone by, the
experiences have been many! I’ve had many
dogs throughout the years and you can read about the individuals under My Dogs
This is the dog that started my
interest in dog shows! We knew that some of
the littermates had been shown: Ebony-Eve Super Shanter, and Ebony-Eve Super
Showstuff.
Unfortunately, “Bols,” had a
ligament injury and we were forced to operate, but it ended
well and he was healthy again. Ewa wondered if we would like to at
least try and show “Bols,” once to see how it would go. We entered him
and didn’t place but I was hooked immediately to the world of dog shows!
The second time we showed him we won a CERT and BOS, we didn’t really understand
what
this meant at the time, but Ewa explained over the telephone what fabulous luck
this was.
“Bols,” Ebony-Eve Super Cooper
received 2 Swedish CERTs and one CERT in Finland,
several CK and many BIS placements as a veteran. He lived a wonderful life
until he was 9 years old when tragically he died in a terrible traffic
accident after our big show Stora Stockholm in 1989.
I have a daughter, Frida, who is 4½
years old. Frida loves to exercise the
dogs and follow along to the shows. She is often in the trim and wants
to help bathe and clip the dogs. “Mom, I can do it,” is her famous phrase!
She is eager to get into the show ring so it’s only a matter of time before she
will begin her show career.
